They were getting this program on-line when I left Edwards AFB in late 2000. Would'nt be the first program to flop, but i've seen test targets hit by the laser and they were impressive. Would be nice if it worked in an airborn platform, but I think they have more than missiles in mind.

May 15th, 2005

Uncle_Sam

Airborne Laser Mission

As part of the government’s effort to demonstrate the feasibility of an airborne laser system for defense against those types of missiles, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the U.S. Air Force have contracted with a team composed of Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to build an airborne high-energy laser weapon system.

The Airborne Laser (ABL) weapon system will operate outside of the range of threat weapons but sufficiently close to enemy territory and at altitudes above the clouds where it can acquire and track missiles in boost flight, and then accurately point and fire the laser with such energy that the missile is destroyed.

ABL is the Boost Phase Intercept capability for the DoD's "Layered" Missile Defense System.
ABL is one key part of a Department of Defense approach to defending against ballistic missiles. The "layered" system uses different weapons to kill ballistic missiles at differing critical points in their lethal trajectories.

Airborne Laser:
Early Engagement - destroys ballistic missiles in their boost phase of flight over launch area
Cues and tracks targets - communicates with other joint theater assets for layered defense system

Mine, and many other's hopes and prayers are in that plane, I hope it won't betray us....
If this weapon is succesfull, the US will not have to fear from Nuke-Attacks any more.... If that thing was operational during the Cold War.....

Sam

P.S. I heard also that AF is going to build smaller ABL for C-130 "Hercules". Cheaper and smaller, but also firepower will be less....